Vehicle theft arrester

ABSTRACT

A sensing device detects initial movement of the vehicle and actuates a trigger mechanism of a device which is aimed to shoot a projectile to deflate and destroy the tire.

United States Patent [151 3,661,l 15

Rosenstein 51 May 9, 1972 54] VEHICLE THEFT ARRESTER l,401,839 12/1921Ward ..ll6/33 [72] lnventor: Abraham J. Rosenstein, 14 Prospect Lane,326303 12/19 Tapleyw' New Marlboro, Mass. 06l l9 [22] Filed: Nov. 13,1970 [21] Appl. No.: 89,349

[52] U.S.Cl ..ll6/33, ISO/114,42 [SI] Int. Cl ..B60m 25/00 [58] FieldofSearch ..l80/114,l03; INS/32,33,154

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,483,222 2/1924 Galloway..1 16/33 Primary Examiner-Robert G. Sheridan Assistant Examiner-JeroldM. Forsberg ArtorneyPaul & Paul [57] ABSTRACT A sensing device detectsinitial movement of the vehicle and actuates a trigger mechanism of adevice which is aimed to shoot a projectile to deflate and destroy thetire.

10 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMY 9 m2 INVENTOR. Abraham J.Rosenstein wflewe,

ATTORNEYS.

VEHICLE THEFT ARRESTER This invention relates to an apparatus forarresting the theft of a vehicle such as an automobile, truck, airplaneor the like. Its purpose is to reduce sharply the annual theft losses,particularly in the field of motor vehicles, and its object is toprovide a device that is simple and safe for the vehicle owner buteffectively reduces or eliminates thefi.

Further, as will be apparent from the description which follows, it isan object of this invention to provide a vehicle which is monitoredinsuch a way that the owner of the vehicle can use it freely and withoutundue inconvenience, but the prospective thief not only faces anobstacle or a series of obstacles to the attempted theft but is alsofaced with a number of uncertainties relating to the location of themonitoring device or devices on the vehicle. Further, the thief may facea variety of other uncertainties such as the number of devices in useand their relationship to one another, and he also subjects himself toprompt arrest if he should err in his assumptions.

In accordance with this invention, the prospective thief is confrontednot only with the mechanical nature of the devices involved but alsowith a number of psychological aspects involving uncertainties anddangers. In all of these connections, it is a primary object of thisinvention to deter prospective car thieves from even attempting thetheft at all.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of thecharacter indicated which can perform efficiently in a simple form orwhich can be operated in conjunction with numerous automatic controls ofa nature and type that naturally flow from the basis of this invention.

DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART It is known to provide a device including anexplosive cartridge, used as an audible alarm only, which is actuated bya mechanical device and senses the movement of a rotating portion of thevehicle. For example, as described in the patent to Tapley U.S. Pat. No.1,326,803, a sensing mechanism of that type is provided, whereinrotational movement of the steering wheel shaft triggers the firing pinand signals the alarm.

In the patent to Ward U.S. Pat. No. 1,401,839, granted Dec. 27, 1921.centrifugal force caused by rotation of a part on the car causes aplunger to puncture the tire. However, this is not accompanied by thefiring of a projectile or bullet or with the attendant loud report thatis associated with such firing.

It is also known in the prior art to provide an automatic antitheftdevice in which rotational movement of the wheel activates a valve stemengaging mechanism to deflate the tire. However, these references suchas the patents to Finn US. Pat. No. 1,335,827 and to Rickon US. Pat. No.1,329,210 do not suggest the idea of firing a bullet into the tire tocause its immediate deflation together with an accompanying loud report,nor do they suggest other instant means for deflating the tire such asinstant and total destruction of the valve stem, for example.

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide aneffective and efficient means which is sensitive to the initialrotational movement of the wheels of the vehicle to cause a loud reportand to fire a bullet or other projectile into at least one tire of thevehicle, causing its immediate deflation and destruction substantiallysimultaneously with the sounding ofa loud report.

Other objects and advantages of this invention, including the simplicityand economy of the same, and the ease with which it may be adapted to awide variety of applications specifically within and upon a motorvehicle, will become further apparent hereinafter and in the drawings.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation showing one specificconstruction embodying features of this invention, with cenain partsbroken away and shown in section in order more clearly to revealimportant details.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the specific form of the invention shown in thedrawings, the letter T designates a tire of an airplane, automobile,truck or the like and the number 10 designates a gun barrel mounted onthe vehicle frame and having a bullet 11. The number 12 designates acocked, spring-urged hammer which detonates the bullet, and the number13 designates the trigger which releases the hammer. A pivoted sensingmechanism 14 is arranged to contact the tire T and senses its rotationin either direction as indicated by the arrows A and B. The dot-dashlines show the movement of the detecting finger 15, together with twopivots 16, 17 which cause the trigger 13 to be moved to its dotted lineposition in a manner to be described in detail hereinafter, thusreleasing the hammer 12 regardless which direction the tire is rotating.

It will be seen that the arm 20 is broken at 21 whereby movement of thefinger 15 in the direction (8) as viewed in FIG. 1 causes movement ofthe arm 20 as a unit about the pivot 17 to trip the trigger 13. However,when the finger 15 is moved in the direction (A) as viewed in FIG. 1,the lower portion 20a swings about the pivot 16, the upper portion 20bbeing restained against movement because of the restricting effect ofthe block 22. Thus, the shoulder 23 protrudes and contacts the trigger13, causing it to move in the same manner as previously described, torelease the firing pin 12, whereupon the energy stored in the firing pinspring drives it forcefully into piston 28 which strikes the bulletcausing detonation.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, a detent device 25 is provided fordeactivating the entire anti-theft device when the motor vehicle is inauthorized use. The device 25 has a lug 26 which engages the flange 27at the top of the firing pin, to prevent its release even in the eventthe trigger 13 is actuated.

Means are provided for shifting the finger and its associated mechanismeither into an operative position to sense the rotation of movement ofthe tire, or in an inoperative position spaced away from the tire,subject to the will of the owner or authorized operator. For thispurpose the entire mechanism is mounted upon a platform 30 which ismovable up and down in a supporting angle iron 31 provided with alongitudinal slot 32 through which bolts 33, 33 extend. In this manner,the entire mechanism, mounted upon the platform 30, can shift up anddown along the slot 32, from the inoperative position shown in solidlines in FIG. 2, to the operative, motion-sensing position shown indot'dash lines in FIG. 2. The safety device 25 is actuated toward itssafety position by means of a wire spring 36 which extends around astationary rod 37. This urges the lower portion of the safety catch 25,below the pivot 38, in a counter-clockwise direction as indicated by thearrow (b) in FIG. 2.

An angularly arranged slot 40 is provided in the supporting plate,through which a pin 41 at the upper portion of detent device 25 extends.Thus, when the plate 30 is lowered with respect to the base plate, thepin 41 is gradually displaced toward the right (in a counter-clockwisedirection), thus withdrawing the safety catch 23 from the trigger head27. The feeler rod 42, which is movable up and down but spring-urged bythe spring 43, comes to rest upon the top of the tire as indicated bythe lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the device ready to fire. Specifically,in the event of rotation of the tire in either direction, the pin 15 isdisplaced somewhat, thus moving the trigger mechanism in such a way asto uncock the trigger l3, releasing the spring-urged percussion pin 12so that it sharply contacts the bullet ll, firing it through the muzzle10 into the tire.

It will be apparent that the firing of the bullet is accompanied by aloud report and that simultaneously the tire is not only deflated butdestroyed so that even major efforts and emergency repairs areinsufficient to allow the thieves to reinflate the tire.

Once the owner of the vehicle has determined to replace the tire and toset the surveillance mechanism into operation again, he simply unscrewsthe muzzle 10, inserts a live bullet and screws the muzzle 10 back intoplace. As stated, whenever the vehicle is in authorized use, the entiresurveillance mechanism is simply maintained in its upper, inoperativeposition at any time the owner so desires.

Of course it will be apparent that the embodiment of the inventionselected for illustration in the drawings may be modified in many ways.For example, the entire mechanical feeler system may be replaced by anelectronic beam which senses the movement of the tire. Such electronicbeam can, for example, be conventionally connected to the speedometer toactuate the trigger by means of a solenoid when it is not set on safe".This actuation may take place at any predetermined speed, such as 5miles per hour, for example.

It will also be appreciated that the same activating mechanism as shownin the drawings may be connected to an alarm system, in a manner to setoff an alarm concurrently with the firing ofthe bullet.

It will be appreciated that one or more such devices may be used on onewheel or more than one, depending upon the desires of the owner. Thisenables the owner to camouflage or even periodically change the locationof the operative unit or units to the extent that he desires.

One particularly advantageous location for devices of this type iswithin the trunk of a conventional automobile, so that the surveillancedevice operates in conjunction with one or both of the rear wheels ofthe automobile. Mounted at the side of the trunk space, the device isnot only protected by the locked door of the trunk, but is easilyaccessible to the owner and easily adjusted between its operative andits inoperative position.

it will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the apparatusaccording to this invention effectively prevents vehicle theft bysimultaneously emitting a loud report while so drastically puncturingthe tire that the release of air from the tire is substantiallyinstantaneous and the tire is destroyed so severely as to be effectivelybeyond repair.

It will be apparent from the mechanism itself and from the foregoingdescription that the device according to this invention can performefficiently in the form in which it was described or that it can beimproved and sophisticated by adding numerous automatic controls of anature and type that naturally flow from the invention. For example, oneor more units may be placed under the hood in front of the car directlyabove one or each of the front tires, as well as inside the rear trunkdirectly above one or each of the rear tires. In this event, each of theunits contains a loaded cassette with a low-caliber cartridge or dartpiercing device combined with an alarm system. The loaded unit, whichmay conveniently be designed as a cassette, is protected by a safetydevice, when not in use so that the cartridge cannot be fired ortriggered by accident when the vehicle is used by a legitimate orauthorized operator.

Further, when the safety" is released and set for protection againstvehicle theft, then the one, two, three or four cassettes are re-setinto the firing position and the trigger is activated by the slightestrotation of the wheels. This sends one, two three or four bullets ordarts into the tire or tires designated for that purpose. If only one ofthe cassettes is set into its firing position. that fact will be knownonly to the owner or authorized operator of the vehicle, and thispresents an element of uncertainty as to which the thief must guess. Aswill become apparent, when one or more shells or darts pierce the tireor tires of the vehicle and the alarm system in the vehicle isactivated, the theft of the vehicle will be as effectively arrested asifa policeman or sheriff had appeared upon the scene.

It will be apparent that, instead of the physical feeling of the tire asby the extensible finger shown in the drawings, this may be alsoelectronically activated such as by a light beam which is broken as soonas the vehicle starts in motion in either direction, or a speedometermotivated action above a designated speed such as 5 miles per hour, forexample, or any other known automatic means which becomes activated assoon as the vehicle starts in motion. Such devices can, of course, beconnected in such a manner as to apply and release the safety device aswell.

It is an important part of this invention that the device is sopositioned as to cause damage to the tire only, avoiding injury even toa prospective thief. It is not the purpose of this invention to fire aprojectile in such a manner as to cause physical injury or death.

It will further be appreciated that known combination locks may be usedin a conventional manner to engage or disengage the vehicle theftarrester according to this invention.

The use of flashing signals, red light or buzzer to warn the legitimatevehicle user that the automatic theft arrester is in a firing position,is provided optionally in accordance with this invention. Suchsignalling device should, of course, be of a nature and in a place knownonly to the owner or authorized operator of the vehicle.

As stated, it is possible to use a form of dart or other piercing deviceinstead of a rifle or pistol cartridge. Where heavy duty tires are used,a heavier caliber shell can be used. Special bullets, particularlyshotgun shells or explosive bullets designed to flatten out or otherwiseto open a large diameter hole in the tire, can be used.

it is of course comprehended within the scope of this invention to applythe theft arresting device to aircraft, trucks or any other sort ofvehicle, and it is contemplated that this invention is particularlyeffective as a means for apprehending highjackers of aircraft.

It will of course be appreciated that the entire device according tothis invention can be completely enclosed in 2. cassette, and that itssize may be reduced to a point where the device can be mounted readilybeneath the aircraft landing gear, a vehicle fender or the like so thatfor all practical purposes it appears to be a portion of the aircraft orfender contour.

Such hole or bore through which the shell or dart was fired should, ofcourse, be as inconspicuous as possible. There may also be a number of"innocent" similar holes exposed from under the fender area forcamouflage purposes. It will of course be appreciated that the cassetteand warning signals and existing gun safety devices will be used toassure physical protection to the owner and to the thief as well,without loss of effectiveness.

Although certain specific forms of the invention have been selected forillustration in the drawings and have been described in the accompanyingspecification, it will be appreciated that various other modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, equivalent elements may be substituted for those specificallyreferred to herein, certain parts may be used independently of otherparts, and parts can be reversed, all without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The following is claimed:

1. A vehicle theft arrester for a vehicle having wheels which rotate ina manner to transport the vehicle from place to place, comprising:

a. a projectile mounted in the vehicle and aimed at a wheel of saidvehicle,

b. firing means mounted on said vehicle for firing said projectile atsaid wheel,

c. releasable restraining means normally restraining said firing means,and

d. sensing means arranged to sense movement of said vehicle andconnected to release said restraining means in response to such vehiclemovement.

2. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein said firing means includes anexplosive device which fires with a loud report.

3. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein said firing means is a gunand said projectile is a bullet.

4. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein said sensing means includes afeeler which contacts a rotatable portion of said wheel.

5. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided forinactivating said sensing means when the vehicle is in authorized use.

said arresters is in an operative condition and another of saidarresters is in an inoperative condition.

9. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein the arrester is mounted inthe trunk ofan automobile.

10. The arrester defined in claim 1, wherein the arrester is mounted inthe motor compartment of the automobile.

t l t t

1. A vehicle theft arrester for a vehicle having wheels which rotate ina manner to transport the vehicle from place to place, comprising: a. aprojectile mounted in the vehicle and aimed at a wheel of said vehicle,b. firing means mounted on said vehicle for firing said projectile atsaid wheel, c. releasable restraining means normally restraining saidfiring means, and d. sensing means arranged to sense movement of saidvehicle and connected to release said restraining means in response tosuch vehicle movement.
 2. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein saidfiring means includes an explosive device which fires with a loudreport.
 3. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein said firing means isa gun and said projectile is a bullet.
 4. The arrester defined in claim1 wherein said sensing means includes a feeler which contacts arotatable portion of said wheel.
 5. The arrester defined in claim 1wherein means are provided for inactivating said sensing means when thevehicle is in authorized use.
 6. The arrester defined in claim 1 whereinsaid wheels have pneumatic tires and wherein said projectile is a bulletof a size and type to substantially instantaneously deflate and destroythe tire, and wherein said bullet has a powder charge that detonateswith a loud report.
 7. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein aplurality of such arresters are mounted on a common vehicle.
 8. Thearrester defined in claim 7, wherein at least one of said arresters isin an operative condition and another of said arresters is in aninoperative condition.
 9. The arrester defined in claim 1 wherein thearrester is mounted in the trunk of an automobile.
 10. The arresterdefined in claim 1, wherein the arrester is mounted in the motorcompartment of the automobile.